Paper feed mechanism for brick stacking machines

ABSTRACT

A CYCLICLY OPERABLE PAPER FEED MECHANISM BY MEANS OF WHICH FIXED LENGTHS OF PAPER SHEET STOCK MATERIAL ARE SUCCESSIVELY WITHDRAWN FROM A SUPPLY ROLL AT A PAPER FEED STATION AND FED TO A LINER FORMING STATION WHERE THE LENGTHS ARE SEVERED FROM THE SUPPLY ROLL AND CREASED TO PRODUCE BRICK-SEPARATING LINERS. SUCH LINERS ARE THEN CONDUCTED THROUGH A TRANSFER STA-   TION TO A STACKING STATION WHERE THEY ARE INVERTED AND DEPOSITED ON SUCCESSIVE ROWS OF BRICKS UNDERGOING STACKING.

States Patent [191 Norbutas et al.

45] Aug. 20, 1974 1 PAPER FEED MECHANISM FOR BRICK STACKING MACHINES [75] Inventors: Stanley R. Norbutas, Glenview;

John R. Diemart, Wheeling, both of I11.

[73] Assignee: Signode C0rp0rati0n,Glenview,I11.

[22] Filed: July 26,1972

21 Appl. N01: 275,225

[52] US. Cl. 29/200 A, 29/200 P, 29/211 L [51] Int. Cl 823p 19/00, B23q 7/10 [58] Field 01 Search 29/200 A, 200 P, 211 L,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,491,901 1/1970 Pearne et al. 294/103 R X $557,439 1/1971 Dykeman 29/200 A Primary ExaminerThomas H. Eager Attorney, Agent, or FirmEdward R. Lowndes [57] ABSTRACT A cyclicly operable paper feed mechanism by means of which fixed lengths of paper sheet stock material are successively withdrawn from a supply roll at a paper feed station and fed to a liner forming station where the lengths are severed from the supply roll and creased to produce brick-separating liners. Such liners are then conducted through a transfer station to a stacking station where they are inverted and deposited on successive rows of bricks undergoing stacking.

9 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure PAPER FEED MECHANISM FOR BRICK STACKING MACHINES The present invention relates to paper feed mechanism and has particular reference to a fully automatic apparatus by means of which a continuous sheet of paper material which is unwound from a roll, is severed into pre-creased sections which constitute brickseparating liners for a brick stack, and the liners deposited in operative positions on the upper surfaces of groups of bricks which are undergoing stacking.

Heretofore, in the application of paper liners to bricks for the internal lining of brick stacks during erection of the latter, it has been the practice to withdraw the flat liners, one at a time, from a stack of such liners and apply them successively to the upper surfaces of the individual unit rows of bricks undergoing stacking. The flat paper liners are placed on each brick row so that they overhang one longitudinal edge of the row. Then, after a complete tier of such lined brick rows has been established, the tier is shifted laterally into engagement with a previously lined tier with the expectation that the overhanging portions of the liners will fold or crease downwardly and establish end-face liners between adjacent bricks in the two tiers. This general procedure has been followed either by manual means or by fully automatic apparatus but, in either event, it has been found to possess numerous limitations.

Principal among these limitations is the fact that for ease of removal of successive paper sheets or liners from a stacked arrangement thereof, it is necessary to employ a high grade of paper material, preferably material which has been calendered on at least one side,

in order that adjacent sheets will not adhere to each other at the time the topmost sheet is withdrawn from the stack. To further enhance sheet separation from the paper stack of paper sheets, a relatively heavy gauge paper material has been employed, thereby further contributing to the cost of the paper material. Additionally, the use of such heavy gauge paper material frequently leads to improper application of the liners to the brick rows inasmuch as any high spots on the upper surfaces of the bricks will prevent the liners from lying flat against the bricks.

A further limitation that is attendant upon the construction and use of present day brick lining and stacking apparatus resides in the fact that when the lined brick tiers are brought into continguity during erection of a brick stack for strapping purposes, the overhanging portions of the various liners will not necessarily fold downwardly for brick end-face covering. More often than not, the leading edges of the overhanging liners will frictionally engage the opposed brick end-faces and be prevented from camming downwardly as they are intended to do, the net result being that they will collapse in accordian fashion, thus resulting in only partial lining of the end-faces or, under extreme circumstances, resulting in packed wads of paper material which contribute toward uneven brick stacks. This is true despite the fact that the gravitational weight of the liner overhang causes a slight initial downward inclination of the latter immediately prior to bringing the two tiers of bricks into contiguity.

Finally, the use of individual stacked paper sheets or liners results in relatively complicated and costly linerhandling mechanism including sheet picker devices for removing the liners one at a time from the stack, transfer devices for conducting the thus removed liners to the stacking station, and aligning mechanism for placement of the liners in proper position on the bricks.

The present invention is designed to overcome the abovenoted limitations that are attendant upon the construction and use of apparatus which currently is in use for brick lining purposes and, toward this end, the invention contemplates the provision of a novel fully automatic mechanism whereby predetermined fixed lengths of inexpensive, untreated low grade paper material, carried in the form of a continuous roll, are withdrawn from the roll and severed into pre-creased liners which are then conducted to a stacking station where the creased liners are applied to the bricks undergoing stacking. Creasing of the liners is effected in order to establish crease lines between the body portions of the liners and the aforementioned overhanging flaps. The liners are creased along fairly sharp lines so that when the liners are placed on the upper surfaces of the bricks, the flaps extend downwardly at a fairly large angle in loose shingle-like fashion so that subsequently, when adjacent tiers of bricks are brought together, the flaps are simultaneously pressed flat against the endfaces of the bricks with each such end-face being completely covered with paper. Because of the fact that low grade, uncalendered or otherwise treated paper is used, an appreciable saving in cost is effected while the consequent elimination of mechanism for handling individual stacked paper liners further contributes toward economy in the internal lining of brick stacks.

The provision of a paper feed mechanism such as has briefly been outlined above constitutes the principal and general object of the present invention. An additional and specific object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel creasing and severing mechanism wherein each fixed length of paper material which is fed from the paper roll may be simultaneously creased and severed to produce a liner, the creasing operation being effective on the length of paper material along a transverse medial line which is disposed rearwardly of the leading edge of the paper a distance substantially equal to the short dimension, i.e., the thickness of a brick, while severing of the paper material takes place rearwardly of the crease line a distance equal to the long dimension, i.e., the length, of a brick. Thus, the completed liner is tailored, so to speak, so that it will accurately fit the row of bricks which it is intended to line, and in the desired manner.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention, not at this time enumerated, will become readily apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood.

ply in the form of a roll 10 from which a continuous sheet of paper material 12 carried by the roll is periodically withdrawn under the influence of a paper feeding mechanism 13 which is disposed at a feeding station PS. The quantity of paper which is withdrawn during each feeding operation or cycle is a function of the speed at which the feeding mechanism 13 operates as well as of the duration of the feeding operation, such quantity establishing a predetermined length of the sheet material which is conducted to a liner-forming station LFS where it is creased and thereafter severed by a creasing and severing mechanism 14 so as to provide an individual creased paper liner L which is conducted by a transfer mechanism 15 through a transfer station TFS to a transport station TPS. At the transport station, the creased liner L is conducted bodily by a transport conveyor 16 to a stacking station SS where it becomes inverted and deposited on a horizontal row 17 of bricks B, such row constituting a unit pack or row of an individual unit stack 18 which, when brought into contiguity with a similar previously paper lined stack, and strapped therewith, results in a rectangular brick package.

It is to be noted at this point that the present invention is concerned primarily with the treatment of the paper stock material from the time it leaves the roll until it is deposited in the form of a liner L on the unit row 17 at the stacking station SS. The formation of the successively paper lined unit rows 17 into unit stacks 18 and the subsequent handling of these unit stacks in the production of a complete brick package constitutes no part of the present invention and no claim is made herein to any novelty associated with the apparatus by means of which the completed and lined brick package is produced since various forms of brick stacking apparatus are available for this purpose. However, in the interests of clarity and for the purpose of illustrating the manner in which the present paper feeding mechanism cooperates with such stacking apparatus, a brick stacking elevator 19 is shown as being disposed at the stacking station SS and it will be understood that the various unit rows 17 of bricks are shifted endwise into position on the elevator 19 and, as soon as the paper liners L have been deposited on such rows, the elevator 19 descends a predetermined distance as indicated by the vertical arrow so that successive unit rows 17 may be shifted into position on the previously paper lined rows, the operation of the elevator being repetitious until all of the unit rows have been thus lined and a unit stack 18 has been completed. Thereafter, the unit stack is shifted laterally as indicated by the horizontal arrow and brought into contiguity with a previously produced unit stack while creation of a succeeding unit stack is commenced.

An example of a suitable brick stacking machine such as has briefly been outlined above may be had by reference to US. Pat. No. 3,491,901, granted on Jan.

27, 1970 and entitled Brick Stacker." The entire disclosure of such patent, insofar as it is consistent with the present disclosure, is hereby incorporated in and made a part of this application by reference thereto. However, only such limited portions of such disclosure as are pertinent to the present invention have been disclosed.

Bearing in mind that the present apparatus is represented herein in schematic fashion, the paper feeding mechanism 13 at the paper feeding station FS includes a pair of feed rolls including a lower power driven roller 20 and an upper pressure roller 22 and between which rollers the paper material 12 issuing from the roll 10 extends. The roller 22 is operatively driven by a unidirectional hydraulically operable paper feed motor Ml which is adapted to be driven for a predetermined fixed length of time during each apparatus cycle under the control of a timing mechanism 24 and which receives motive fluid (oil) from a pump P.

The paper creasing and severing mechanism at the liner forming station LFS involves in its general organization a pair of paper-engaging dies including a creasing die 30 and a perforating die 32. The creasing die is in the form of a flat rectangular blade having a linearly straight lower edge, while the perforating die 32 is in the form of a similar blade, the lower edge of which is of sawtooth design. The two blades are disposed in fixed parallelism by means of a suitable holder 33 which may be in the form of a channel member from the web portion of which the two blades depend. The effective longitudinal extent of the two blades 30 and 32 is substantially equal to the width of the paper stock material which passes therebeneath.

Positioned immediately beneath the two blades 30 and 32 is a resilient creasing and severing pressure pad which is of rectangular block-like configuration and the transverse width of which is slightly greater than the extent of the blades 30 and 32, while the longitudinal extent thereof is somewhat greater than the distance between the two blades. The pad 34 may be formed of any suitable elastomeric material such as rubber, either natural or synthetic, or a rubber substitute having a high degree of resiliency and capable of becoming immediately restored to its original condition after compressional forces tending to deform it have been relieved.

The pad 34 is supported on a vertically shiftable supporting plate 36 which, in turn, is carried on one or more expansible and collapsible bags 38, only one such bag being disclosed herein in the interests of simplicity. The bag 28 is mounted on a suitable fixed reaction plate 40 having an opening 42 therethrough for an air line by means of which the bag may be inflated in a manner that will be set forth presently. From the above description it will be apparent that when air is supplied to the bag 38 for inflation purposes, expansion of the bag will cause the supporting plate 36, and consequently the resilient pad 34, to move upwardly and force the overlying paper stock material 12 into operative engagement with the blades 30 and 32. Upon simultaneous engagement of the paper stock 12 with the blades, the creasing blade 30 will force the paper material against the pad 34 and progressively establish a transverse crease 44 therein. Similarly, engagement of the paper material 12 with the perforating blade 32 will initially cause a transverse row of perforations to be formed in the material. Thereafter, as the bag 36 continues to expand, the increased pressure of the pad 34 against the blade will cause shearing of the paper material along the line of perforations, thus providing a completely severed and creased paper liner having a trailing flap 46 as indicated in dotted lines.

The initial feed of the paper material from the feeding mechanism 14 to the creasing and severing mechanism 14 at the liner forming station LFS carries the leading edge of the paper over and beyond the resilient pad 34 and beneath one or more suction cups 50 at the transfer station TF8. The suction cups are carried at the lower end of a longitudinally shiftable suction manifold 52, the upper end of which is supported at the outer end of a plunger 54 associated with an air cylinder 56 which is fixedly positioned above the creasing and severing mechanism 14. When air is supplied to the rear end of the cylinder 56, the plunger 54 is projected forwardly from the cylinder and thus carries the manifold 52 forwardly toward the transport station TF8. The upper end of the manifold 52 is operatively connected to a source 58 of air under sub-atmospheric pressure (vacuum pressure) by a flexible conduit 60. At such time as the resilient pad 34 reaches the limit of its upward movement and the liner L becomes severed from the paper material 12 issuing from the roll 10, such liner is forced into engagement with the suction cups 50 which capture the liner and, as the manifold 52 moves forwardly under the influence of the air cylinder 56, the paper liner L is carried toward the transport station TPS where it is brought into overlying relationship with the rear end of the transport conveyor 16.

In order to release the paper liner L from the suction cups 50 so that it may be received by the transport conveyor 16, the vacuum manifold 52 is provided with a bleeder valve VB having a depressible actuating button associated therewith and which is engageable at the transport station TPS with a fixed shoulder which depresses the button and bleeds the interior of the manifold to the atmosphere, thereby relieving the degree of vacuum within the manifold 52.

The transport conveyor 16 at the transport station TRS embodies a dual endless conveyor chain arrangement 62 which passes over driving head sprockets 64 and tail sprockets 66, the head sprockets being driven by a hydraulic motor M2 which, in turn, functions intermittently to drive the conveyor chain arrangement through increments of 180. Mounted on the conveyor chains at regions which are spaced 180 apart are a pair of identical paper clamps 70, each clamp having a fixed jaw 72 and a movable jaw 74, the two jaws being pivotally connected together and the movable jaw being normally spring-biased toward the fixed jaw so as to assume a closed paper-clamping position. The intermittent movement of the conveyor chains 62 is such that the conveyor is possessed of dwell periods wherein one paper clamp 70 is disposed at a liner-receiving station or location (lr) near the rear end of the conveyor and the other clamp is disposed at a liner-discharging location near the forward end of the conveyor.

Positioned at the liner-receiving and linerdischarging locations are respective clamp-actuating cylinders 76 having plungers 78 associated therewith. The movable jaw 74 of each clamp overhangs the side edges of the conveyor 16 so that when the clamps 70 are disposed at the liner receiving and liner discharging stations during a conveyor dwell period, projection of the plungers 78 will cause an overhanging portion of each movable jaw 74 to be engaged by a plunger 78 so that the two clamps 70 will become open simultaneously. Opening of the clamp at the location (1r) will condition the clamp for reception therein of the leading edge of a liner L, while opening of the clamp at the location (ld) will cause a liner L to be released for deposition on the adjacent unit row 17 of bricks at the stacking station SS.

The previously mentioned timing mechanism 24 is shown for exemplary purposes as embodying an electric timer motor M which is operatively connected in driving relationship to a timer disk or cam 80 having a peripheral notch 82 therein, the cam being associated with a pair of normally open timer contacts to which normally, when the cam is at rest, remain open but which become closed as soon as rotation is impartedto the cam.

In the operation of the apparatus, and with reference to the electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic components and circuitry which are shown schematically as being associated with the structural mechanism described above, upon momentary depression of a push button PB an electrical circuit will be completed through the timer motor M, such circuit extending from the positive side of the line, through leads 21, 23, the motor M, lead 25, contacts of the push button PB, and leads 27, 29 to the negative side of the line. Immediately upon energization of the motor M, the timer contacts tc will become closed and a holding circuit for the motor M will extend from the line through leads 21, 23, motor M, leads 25, 31, 35, contacts re, and leads 37, 29, back to the line. This holding circuit will remain effective until the contacts tc again encounter the notch 82, Whereupon these contacts will open and deenergize the holding circuit for the motor M.

Closure of the timer contacts also establishes an electrical circuit which extends through leads 21, 39, winding of a solenoid valve V1, leads 14, 35, contacts tc of the timer cam 80, and leads 37, 29. Energization of the valve V1 will establish a hydraulic circuit wherein oil flows from the pump P, through conduits 43,45, hy-

' draulic motor M1, conduit 47, a flow valve FV, conduit 49, valve V1, and conduits 51, 53, back to the pump.

The flow valve FV is an adjustable valve which determines the rate of flow of fluid through the motor M1 and consequently the speed or rotation of the motor M1 and the drive roller 22 of the paper feeding mechanism 14. Accordingly, this valve is provided with a manually adjustable valve element 84 which is threadedly received in a bore 86 provided in a valve casing 88 and cooperates with a valve seat 90 in regulating the flow of oil from an inlet port 92 to an outlet port 94. By adjusting the valve element 84, the rate of oil flow through the hydraulic circuit for the motor Ml may be varied to thus regulate the speed of such motor and vary the amount of paper material 12 which is fed from the roll 10 during the length of time that the contacts of the timing cam 80 remain closed.

It will be apparent that during each full rotation of the timer cam 80, a predetermined fixed length of paper material 12 will be fed forwardly above the pressure pad 34 and, at the termination of such paper feed, the leading edge of the material will engage a pair of normally open contacts cl which are laterally adjustable as indicated by the arrows so that they may be positioned for contact with the material 12 at such time as paperfeeding operations are terminated. Upon closure of these contacts cl, an electrical circuit is established through leads 55, 57, contacts cl, leads 59, 61, a relay magnet RMl, and leads 63, 65.

Closure of the No. 2 contacts of the magnet RM] establishes a circuit through leads 75, 77 No. 2 contacts of magnet RMl, lead 79, winding of a solenoid valve V2, and leads 81, 65. Energization of the winding of the valve V1 will establish a flow of air from a source 100 through conduit 91, valve V2, and conduits 93, 95 to the flexible bag 38 whereupon the bag, upon inflation thereof, will expand and force the pad 34 and its supporting plate 36 upwardly as indicated in dotted lines so as to cause the paper to engage the creasing and perforating dies 30 and 32 to thus produce a liner L, while at the same time elevating such liner into operative engagement with the suction cups 50 in the manner previously described.

As soon as the resilient pad 34 has performed its creasing and perforating-severing function, the bag 38 is immediately deflated due to the fact that the previously described holding circuit through the contacts c2 and the No. l holding contacts of the magnet RM1 become open due to raising of the pad-supporting plate 36 which is provided with a contact-engaging finger 102 which causes opening of the contacts c2, thereby causing deenergization of the magnet RMl and its associated valve V1. Deenergization of the valve V1 causes it to reverse the flow of air through the air line 95, 97 leading from the bag 38 to the valve V2.

Raising of the pad-supporting plate 36 also causes closing of a pair of contacts 03 and the establishing of a circuit through leads 55, 67, 97, contacts c3, leads 99, 101, a relay magnet RM2, and leads 103, 105. Energization of the magnet RM2 serves to close both the No. 1 and No. 2 contacts thereof. Closure of the No. 1 contacts establishes a holding circuit through the magnet RM2, such circuit extending through leads 75, 107 normally closed contacts 04, lead 109, No. l holding contacts of the magnet RM2, leads 111, 101, magnet RM2, and leads 103, 105.

Energization of the magnet RM2 also causes closing of the No. 2 contacts thereof, whereupon a circuit will extend through lead 117, No. 2 contacts of the magnet RM2, lead 119, winding of a solenoid-actuated valve V2 and leads 121, 105, thus establishing a pneumatic circuit extending from the source 100 of air, through conduit 123, valve V3, conduit 125, the air cylinder 56, and conduit 127 back to the valve V3 from whence the air is discharged to atmosphere. Establishment of such circuit will cause the plunger 54 to be projected from the cylinder 56, thereby shifting the vacuum manifold 52 forwardly so as to transfer the vacuum-held paper liner L from the liner forming station LFS to the transport station TPR where the leading edge of the liner is projected into the clamp 70 which, at that time, is disposed in an open condition near the end of the transport conveyor 18 at the location.(lr). Upon complete projection of the plunger 52, a finger 110 on the plunger causes opening of the contacts c4 which are disposed in the previously described holding circuit for the magnet RM2, whereupon this magnet, together with its associated air valve V3 will become deenergized, thereby reversing the flow through the valve V3 and restoring the plunger 54 to its retracted position.

Prior to retraction of the plunger 54, the finger 110 causes closure ofa pair of contacts c5 so as to establish a circuit through leads 129, 131, a relay magnet RM3, leads 133, 135, contacts c5, and leads 137, 139. Energization of the magnet RM3 establishes a holding circuit for the magnet extending through leads 129, 131, magnet RM3, leads 133, 141, contacts c6, lead 143, No. 1 holding contacts of the magnet RM3, and leads 145, 139. Energization of the relay magnet RM3 also causes closure of the No. 2 contacts of the magnet RM3, thus establishing a circuit through leads 129, 147, No. 2 contacts of magnet RM3 (now closed), lead 149, winding ofa solenoid actuated valve V4, and leads 151, 153.

Energization of the valve V4 establishes an hydraulic circuit from the pump P, through conduits 43, 155, hydraulic motor M2, conduit 157, valve V4, and conduits 159, 53, back to the pump P. Activation of the motor M2 serves to drive the head sprockets 64 of the conveyor 18 and thus actuate the latter.

As previously stated, the conveyor 16 is possessed of a dwell position wherein one of the two paper clamps is disposed at the liner receiving location (1r) while the other clamp 70 is disposed at the liner discharging location (1d), the two clamps both being in their open condition at the time the conveyor dwell is effected. This conveyor dwell takes place by movement of a clamp 70 into position at the stacking station SS and into engagement with the normally closed contacts C6 which are thus caused to become open, and discontinue the previously mentioned holding circuit for the relay magnet RM3. The relay magnet RM3 is of the delayed action (slow to energize and quick to deenergize) type for a reason that will be made clear presently.

At such time as the clamp 70 causes the contacts C6 to become open, it causes a pair of contacts 07 to close, thereby establishing a circuit through leads 161, solenoid winding ofa valve V5, lead 163, contacts C7 (now closed), and leads 165, 153. Energization of the valve V5 establishes a pneumatic circuit from the source of air, through conduit 167, valve V5, conduit 169, and branch conduits 171 to the two paper clamp cylinders 76, thereby projecting the respective plungers 78. It is to be noted that because the relay magnet RM3 is of the delayed action type, at the termination of each conveyor movement, the hydraulic motor M2 will continue to drive the head sprockets 64 for a short time after the contacts C6 have become open so that the clamp 70 at the stacking station SS will have closed contacts C7 and moved beyond such contacts, thus allowing them to open. The interval of time during which the contacts c7 remain closed imparts an impulse to both clamp cylinder plungers 78 which opens both clamps 70 simultaneously, thus allowing the leading edge of a liner 16 to enter the clamp at the receiving end of the conveyor 18 and causing a liner 16 to be discharged from the clamp at the stacking station. immediately after reception of a liner L in one clamp 70 and discharge of a liner from the other clamp 70, these two clamps become closed due to opening of the contacts C7 and consequent deenergization of the previously described circuit through the valve V5. Thus, at such time as the motor M2 becomes energized for conveyor driving purposes, both clamps are closed and movement of the conveyor sprockets 62 will cause the liner to leave the transfer station TFS and pass through the transport station TPS as previously set forth for release of the liner L at the statcking station SS and its application to the brick row 19.

Since both clamps become open at the same time, one for liner receiving and the other for liner discharging purposes, there is no period of inactivity of the apparatus in between apparatus cycles. At the precise moment that a liner is discharged at the stacking station SS, an additional liner is received on the conveyor 16. At the time the clamps become open, the electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic components or instrumentalities associated with the apparatus are restored to their initial condition or position and the apparatus is thus ready for performance of the next succeeding paper feeding and forming cycle.

The invention is not to be limited to the precise arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification since various changes in the details of construction may be restorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, although vertical movement of the resilient pressure pad 34 has been described herein as being effected under the expansive force of one or more inflatable bags 38, it is within the scope of the invention to utilize one or more pneumatic cylinder and plunger devices if desired. Therefore, only insofar as the invention has particularly been pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to be limited.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for successively depositing creased paper liners on the upper surfaces of unit rows of bricks undergoing stacking at a stacking station, said apparatus comprising means establishing a paper feed station, a liner forming station, a liner transfer station and a liner transport station, successively and in the order named, means at the paper feed station for successively withdrawing fixed lengths of paper sheet material from a supply roll and feeding the same forwardly to and through the liner forming station, liner severing and creasing mechanism at the liner forming station for severing said fixed lengths from the supply roll and creating transverse creases therein to produce the creased liners, means at the transfer station for transferring the severed and creased liners from the liner forming station to the transport station, and means at said latter station for conducting the liners to the stacking station, inverting them at such station, and depositing the inverted liners on the successive unit rows of bricks undergoing stacking.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said liner severing and creasing means comprises a pair of spaced apart severing and creasing dies and a relatively movable opposed resilient elastomeric pressure pad and between which dies and pad the paper sheet material passes, and means for relatively moving the dies and pressure pad toward and away from each other to compress the paper sheet material therebetween for severing and creasing purposes.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2-, wherein said creasing and severing dies are fixed, the pressure pad is movable and disposed beneath the dies, and the means for relatively moving the dies and pad comprises a fixed reaction plate positioned beneath said dies, a pneumatically expansible and collapsible bag interposed between the reaction plate and the dies, and means for supplying air to said bag to expand the same and force said pad upwardly into liner creasing and severing relationship with said dies.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the creasing die is formed with a linearly straight paperengaging edge and the severing die is formed with a linearly straight row of paper perforating and severing teeth.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein a flat bag-supporting plate is interposed between the bag and j the pressure pad.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the means at the transfer station for transferring the liners to the transport station comprises a suction cup manifold and a plurality of downwardly facing suction cups thereon, said manifold being horizontally shiftable between a retracted position adjacent the creasing die and an advanced position adjacent the liner transport station, means effective when the manifold is in its retracted position for subjecting the manifold to subatmospheric pressure, means effective when the manifold is in its advanced position for relieving such subatmospheric pressure, said manifold when in its retracted position overlying the leading edge region of the paper sheet material forwardly of the creasing die whereby, upon upward movement of the pad, such leading edge region of the paper sheet material is forced into effective cooperation with the suction cups, and means for moving said manifold between its retracted and advanced positions.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the liner conducting, inverting and depositing means at the transport station comprises an intermittently operable endless conveyor having upper and lower reaches which extend between the liner transfer station and the stacking station, a paper clamp mounted on the conveyor and having normally closed liner-clamping jaws, said clamp assuming positions during successive conveyor dwell periods on the upper reach and at an upright liner-receiving location adjacent the transfer station, and on the lower conveyor reach and at an inverted liner-discharging location at the stacking station, and means effective when said liner is in each of said locations for opening said clamping jaws.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for successively withdrawing fixed lengths of paper sheet material from the supply roll comprises a pair of feed rolls between which the paper sheet material passes, an hydraulic motor operatively connected to said feed rolls in driving relationship, an hydraulic circuit for said motor and including a pump, a solenoidactuated valve interposed between the pump and motor and effective when energized to operatively connect the pump to the motor in driving relationship, and an adjustable flow control valve likewise interposed between the pump and motor for regulating the flow of fluid in said circuit to thus vary the speed of the motor, and electrically operable timer means effective to energiz'e said solenoid-actuated valve and maintain the same energized for a predetermined period of time.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein said electrically operable timer means comprises an electric circuit for the solenoid valve, a pair of normally open contacts in said circuit, and a timing cam effective when actuated to close said contacts and maintain the same closed for a predetermined period of time. 

